Piper PA-28-161 N8270M

Summary

On 6 September 2005 at about 21:25 local time, a Piper PA-28-161 registered N8270M was involved in an accident near Babylon, New York, United States. 3 people were on board and 3 had minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

6 September 2005 at 21:25

Classification

Accident

Location

Babylon, New York, United States

Coordinates

40.6236, -73.2614

Aircraft

Piper PA-28-161

Registration

N8270M

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Farmingdale → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05LA133

3 people had minor injuries.

A broken piston and exhaust valve tappet which resulted in a total loss of engine power, and a forced landing to unsuitable terrain. A contributing factor was the failure of the operator to overhaul the engine at the manufacturer's recommended interval.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot leveled the airplane after takeoff, and encountered "a lot of roughness in the engine." The engine rpm fluctuated greatly, the entire airframe vibrated, and the windscreen became covered in oil. The pilot declared an emergency and attempted a return to the departure airport. The engine power continued to decrease, and the airplane could not maintain altitude, so the pilot selected a parking lot for landing. During the landing, the airplane cleared a vehicle in its path, touched down, overran the lot, and collided with two rows of bushes before it came to rest against a sand dune. Examination of the airplane revealed holes in the engine case in the area of the No. 1 exhaust tappet and the No. 3 exhaust tappet. Partial disassembly revealed that the No. 3 piston "split in half" at the oil control ring/piston ring journal, and the No. 1 exhaust valve tappet was broken. Maintenance records revealed that the engine had accumulated 771 hours beyond the manufacturer's recommended 2,000-hour time between overhaul.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.